Bearing combination



July 8, 1952 w. M. WHEILDON, JR 2,

BEARING COMBINATION Filed March 24, 1950 3/ 4 fizz/extor- 39 MLL/AM MAXWELL 'WHE/LDOMJE ,periods of operation. 'vention is to provide a journal bearing combina- Patented July 8, 1952 7 UNITED STATS PATENT OFFICE I i 2,602,714 a I 'i-BEABING COMBINATION William, Maxwell Wheildon, Jr., Framingham, Mass, assignor to Norton Company, Worcester, I Mass'., a corporation of Massachusetts 7 Application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,584

.3 Glaims.

The invention relates to a journal bearing combination, that is to say a journal and a bearing therefor and also a bearing combination where there is no journal.

One object ofthe invention is to provide a journal bearing combination the parts of which will maintain their dimensions during the long Another object ofthe intion to meet unusual service conditions. Another object of the invention is to provide a journal bearing combination which will-run drywithout failure. Another object of the invention is to provide a journal bearing combination which will operate properly and .without'unreasonable wear with such unusual lubricants as water and steam. Another object of, the invention is to pron vide a journal bearing combination operable at .high speeds and under high pressures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a journal bearing combination which will not deteriorate at high temperatures. Another object is to provide a journal bearing combination of extremely long life in whichthe two elements thereof show little wear after long periods of operation with the usual lubricants such as various oils. Another object is to provide a journal bearing combination which will not freeze even under heavy loads and at high speeds. Another object is to provide a journal bearing combination, which will not conduct electricity. Another object is to provide a bearing combination (involving no journal, such as in the case of flat bearings) having one or more of the above features and advantages. Another object is to provide a bearing combination, whether journal bearing combination or involving flat hearings or any other species, the elements of which are usually resistant to acids and other corrosives including in this connection water, which rusts iron and many steels, whereby the bearing combination will not. be affected by any liquids.

Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinaften: I

In the accompanying drawings illustrating some of the many possible embodiments of the invention Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of a shaft having a journal piece thereon rotatably supported by a bearing,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an elevation of a piston rod guide and slideway therefor (the latter in section) showing a sliding thrust plate attached to the piston rod guide and a slideway supporting plate held by the slideway,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3. V

The journal bearing combination of the present invention is aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. By aluminum oxide I mean a massive piece of crystalline aluminum oxide made by uniting, under heat and pressure, granules of previously fused alumina. That is to say, in the known art of making abrasive and refractory aluminum oxide, a quantity of the material is melted in an electric furnace, then it is allowed to solidify and finally it is crushed or otherwise disintegrated to form granules of any desired grit size. Sometimes the starting material is bauxite, a hydrated aluminum oxide, to'gether'with enough carbon to reduce the other oxides present and together with enough iron' to unite with the silicon reduced from silica to form a ferrosilicon which goes to the bottom of the pig or ingot. At other times the fusion is a fusion of relatively pure aluminum oxide made by chemical processes which, however, lacks the desired physical characteristics until it is fused and allowed to crystallize from molten phase. H

It is now possible totake a quantity of granular aluminum oxide having a purity of 97% A1203 or better, place this in a suitable mold and mold the granular material to a solid body by the application of pressure coincident with heating. Preferably part of my journal bearing combination is made out of. such aluminum oxide or alumina. However the making of bearings by casting the molten alumina is not precluded.

The other part of the journal bearing combination according to this invention is vitrified ceram ic bonded silicon carbide; The silicon carbide should be pure or better and can be made by the well known process of reducing silica with carbon using an excess of carbon to unite with the silicon vapors to produce silicon carbide SiC, this process being carried out in a resistance type of electric furnace as developed by E. G. Acheson before the beginning of the present century. Silicon carbide so produced is a friable mass of large crystals and this mass is crushed to produce fine grit of fractured silicon carbide crystals which are then mixed with clay or clays with or without a flux such as feldspar'and often with some frit. Water is added to make the mixture moldable and the mixture is then placed in a suitable mold and pressed, the green pieces'are stripped from the mold, drier and finally fired to vitrify the bonding material, the heat treatment being usually cone 12 heat treatment. The term frit, well known in the ceramic arts, designates ceramic materialmade by mixing clay or clays and/or other ingredients-fusing, quenching in water or otherwise, and finally crushing. Frit is ground glass. I

In case the journal bearing combinationis for supporting a rotating shaft and in some cases where a reciprocating shaft is cylindrical and reciprocates in a bearing the outer piece is prefer- 3. ably aluminum oxide and the inner piece is preferably silicon carbide. However in cases where the combination is for the support of a reciprocating partwhich is free to move in one direction normal to the reciprocation it makes no difference which is the outer part and which is the inner part. The coefficient of expansion of aluminum oxide is about '7.0 10- per degree centigrade. The coefiicient of expansion of vitrified ceramic bonded silicon carbide is about 4.5X- per degree centigrade. Thus in the case of a journal within a bearing, by having the aluminum oxide piece on the outside, any heating of the parts causes the outside part to expand more than the inside part thus preventing freezing. However, in certain instances where excessive heat will not be generated the arrangement can be reversed.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, a bearing Support 1.0 has a..cylindrical bore H in which is pressfittedasleeve ,l 2 of massive aluminum oxide. This sleeve I2 is the bearing and in it runs a sleeve 13 of vitrified ceramic bonded silicon carbide which is the journal. This sleeve [3 is fitted on the reduced .portion M of a rotatable shaft it. At the end of the reduced portion I4 is a shoulder l6 against which the sleeve I3 is held by means of a washer l1 and a ,nut 18 On a threaded end IQ of the shaft 1.5.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, .the base of a steam engine .or pump has an integral land 2e supporting aslideway supporting plate 2| of massive aluminum oxide upon which rests a slide thrust plate 22 of vitrified ceramic bonded silicon carbide which supports a two part block 23 held together by bolts .24. The block '23 has a cylindrical bore 25 holding two semi-cylindrical sleeve portions 26 of massive aluminum oxide which are held from rotating relative to the block 23 by a gib 21. These two semi-cylindrical sleeve portions of massive aluminum oxide constitute a bearing which supports a journal 28 on a pin 29 passing through the forked end .30 of a connecting rod. The .pin 29 has a head 3] at one end and a screw threaded portion at the other end on which is a nut 33 thrusting against a washer 34 which abuts the forked end 39. Thus the journal 28 is tightly secured to the forked end 39 0f th connecting rod and the journal 28 is oscillatable within the bearing 26 and in this instance the journal 2-8 is made of vitrified ceramic bonded silicon carbide.

The two part block 23 as best shown in Figure 4 has a wide portion 35 just above the slide thrust plate 22 which is guided by L-shaped slideway guides 36 held onto the land 28 by means of bolts 37. However there is a good sliding clearance between the L-shaped slideway guides 36 and the enlarged portion 35 of the two part block 23. Lug portions .38 overlap the ends of the plate 22 and hold it in position. .Similarly lugs 39 secured by bolts 40 to the land 26 hold the slideway supporting plate 2 l in position.

If the apparatus of Figures 3 and 4 is a slideway and piston rod guide for the piston rod 4| of a pump, for example an air pump, the crank not shown connected to the connecting rodof which the forked end 30 is shown will rotate clockwise and the resultant thrust on the block 23 will be downward. If, on the other hand, the apparatus is a slideway and piston rod guide for the piston rod 4| of a steam engine, the crank will be rotated counterclockwise and the thrust will still be downward. Thus the bearing combination of Figures 3 and 4 is a sliding thrust plate bearing combination. In such a combination it makes no difference which part is aluminum oxide and which part is silicon carbide. The slide thrust plate bearing combination of this invention can be used in many other situations, that illustrated being merely one common use for a sliding thrust plate bearing combination.

Figures 3 and 4 also illustrate a journal bearing combination for the articulation of parts one of which oscillates relative to the other and they also illustrate the case of a split hearing. The journal bearingcombination of the invention can be used with superior results for the rotatable or oscillatable support of machine parts where the thrust is radial and also where the thrust is axial. Accordingly the three embodiments herein de picted and described are to be taken as purely illustrative since the combination of the invention can be embodied in any known mechanical arrangement of relatively moving parts. I

For the fabrication of the journals, the bearings and the plates, both stationary and moving, molding, as already fully understood in the ceramic and refractory arts, is preferably utilized. For finishing the surfaces that are to be in contact with relatively moving surfaces grinding wheels, particularly diamond grinding wheels, are preferably used. Grinding may be followed with lapping and in'this manner beautiful mirror-like surfaces can be produced on the hard materials herein specified. Naturally in'the case of journal bearing combinations the fit should be .the best that can be achieved allowing just enough clearance for free rotation and for a film of oil vor water. Thejournal bearing combination and also the sliding thrust plate bearing combination of the invention are preferably lubricated with oil, but so perfectare the surfaces when ground and lapped, so .hard are the materials and so immune are they in the combination specifiedi'to the effects of seizure that they can run dry under considerable loads and at high speeds .for a long time without deterioration. This capability is a great advantage in many situations. For the manufacture of. a split bearing such as the semicylindrical sleeve portions 26 afull bearing is first made, then ground, then lapped, and finally it is split into two pieces with a diamond cutoff wheel.

Tests were made of the resistance to wear of the combination'of this invention and of other combinations. In each test a disc four inches in diameter and one-eighth of an inch thick was rotated with its periphery against a flat block, with a speed of .rotation of 650 R. P. M. and a load of six pounds, for a total time of two hours and with no lubricant, the test conditions being the same in every case, with the following results as to total wear on both the disc andthe block.

One advantage of the combination of themvention is that both elements are'refractory as well as hard. By element in this connection I mean the journal and hearing or the two bearing parts. vFurthermore'the elements will not deteriorate nor lose-their wear resistant properties even if heated to a temperature of 1000 F.

Another advantage of the combination of this I invention is that, as a combination, it is an electrical insulator which is a desired feature for many modernmachines. I

Generically a journal is a bearing, so therefore generically this invention concerns a bearing combination, one element being bonded silicon carbide (as defined) and the other element being aluminumloxide (as defined). The journal bearing combination is a specific case. Slideway supporting plates and slide thrust plates are other specific cases since each is a bearing element. Each of the elements of the bearing combination is highly resistant to acids and other corrosives.

As a further aid to practicing the invention I will give some specific examples of vitrified ceramic bonded silicon carbide compositions actually used in carrying out my invention.

Example I Pounds 100 mesh grit size silicon carbide 11.2 500 mesh grit size silicon carbide 4.8 Ceramic bond 11.9 Water 1.9

The ceramic bond of Example I had the following composition:

Emample II Pounds Mississippi ball clay 45.0 Colemanite 20.0 Lithospar 36.0 Silicon 1.0 Aluminum 2.5

Example III Pounds 30 mesh grit size silicon carbide 6.4 100 mesh grit size silicon carbide 4.8 500 mesh grit size silicon carbide 4.8 Ceramic bond of Example II 6.9 Water; 1.1

The pieces made with the ingredients of Example I as the result of pressing and firing had 50 volume per cent silicon carbide, 46.5 volume per cent vitrified ceramic bond, the remainder pores. The pieces made with the ingredients of Example III as the result of pressing and firing had 63 volume per cent silicon carbide, 33 volume per cent vitrified ceramic bond, the remainder pores. For the purpose of this invention the variation in volume percentage of silicon carbide, ceramic bond and pores should be within the following It will thus be seen that there has been pro vided by this invention a bearing combination in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As many possible embodiments may be made of the above in-' vention and as many changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1. A hearing combination consisting of two elements, one of said elements being a massive piece of crystalline aluminum oxide at least 97% pure having a ground bearing surface, and the other of said elements being a piece of silicon carbide bonded with vitrified ceramic bond said piece having aground bearing surface and said piece in volume percentage ranging from 40% to 70% silicon carbide, from 20% to of said bond, and from 0% to 20% pores.

2. A bearing combination accordingto claim 1 in which one element is a journal and is the inner element and is the piece of vitrified ceramic WILLIAM MAXWELL WHEILDON, JR.

REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Potts Sept. 20, 1949 Number 7 2,482,205 

1. A BEARING COMBINATION CONSISTING OF TWO ELEMENTS, ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING A MASSIVE PIECE OF CRYSTALLINE ALUMINUM OXIDE AT LEAST 97% PURE HAVING A GROUND BEARING SURFACE, AND THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING A PIECE OF SILICON CARBIDE BONDED WITH VITRIFIED CERAMIC BOND SAID PIECE HAVING A GROUND BEARING SURFACE AND SAID PIECE IN VOLUME PERCENTAGE RANGBING FROM 40% TO 70% SILICON CARBIDE, FROM 20% TO 60% OF SAID BOND, AND FROM 0% TO 20% PORES. 